


What is it to be a Hero?

by Ironwingedhawk



Series: The Domestic Life of Mr. Cage-Rand and Mr. Rand-Cage [1]
Category: Iron Fist (TV), Luke Cage (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Defenders (Marvel TV)
Genre: Bonding, Bro Talks, Bro bonding, Fix-It of Sorts, M/M, Post-Episode: s01e08 The Defenders, The Defenders (Marvel TV) Spoilers, Walks On The Beach, bros freeform, this turned out sadder than i wanted it to
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-22
Updated: 2017-08-22
Packaged: 2018-12-18 17:26:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11879304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ironwingedhawk/pseuds/Ironwingedhawk
Summary: Luke and Danny having a moment a day after the finale of The Defenders.





	What is it to be a Hero?

 

"What are we doing here?", Luke muttered as Danny slammed the car door shut.  
It was surprisingly empty. Sure, the Hamptons weren't a popular destination in winter but even then, Danny remembered it a lot more crowded.  
"Danny?"  
He remembered the weekends he had spent here: playing in the sand with Joy , building sand castles and searching for little "treasures" the tide had floated ashore. His parents would have sat in chairs, chatting with Harold and occasionally they would smile and wave at the kids. Danny closed his eyes and breathed in the air that tasted like seaweed, fish and salt. For a moment he could have sworn that he could hear the faint sound of happy screams and laughter of children. Then the voices slowly faded away until there was only the whistled melody of the wind.  
"You still with me?"  
"Yeah. I'm sorry, what did you say?", Danny blinked the hot tears away before they had the chance to actually form in his eyes.  
He wasn't sure if Luke had noticed that but if he had, he was kind enough to ignore it, "I asked you, what we're doing out here?"  
"Talk."  
"You don't have to drag someone out of the city to  _talk_."  
"Maybe that's the wrong word for it.", Danny kneeled down to roll up his pants around his ankles and slipped out of his shoes and socks.  
"Are you serious? It's freezing cold."  
Danny shrugged, he liked the feeling of sand between his toes and water around his ankles, "When it comes to cold. I've been through worse.", he walked ahead towards the waterfront and turned around to look at the other man.  
Luke sighed and followed hesitantly, "You still haven't answered my question though."  
"Your speech back then, after we first met...It made me think. There's some stuff, that I've been doing wrong."  
"But why are we h-"  
"The blue painted house over there...that's mine."  
"Christ. You could fit ten families in there..."  
Danny nodded, "Yeah. I guess. After...the...uhm...accident, Harold Meachum decided to keep it, the real estate prizes were and are on the rise and he thought that it would be a good investment."  
"I'm always baffled how people with so much money still care about stuff like that."  
"You and me both, Dad said that Harold's greatest strength had always been his instinct for business. Guess caring about money has something to do with that.  _I_  really don't have it in me, though."  
Luke seemed to consider his next words, "I don't think that has to be a bad thing."  
Danny's lips formed a fond smile and he tried his best to conceal it, "Maybe. Anyway, the house once belonged to my grand-parents, and my great-grand-parents and so on...you get the idea."  
"I never knew that the Rand family had always been New York royalty."  
"It's my mother's family that was a big name before my parents married. They were a family of Bankers, I believe. My mom had a fight with her parents, when she introduced them to my dad. She took his last name out of spite."  
"Sounds like a lot of family drama.", Luke smiled softly.  
Danny had finally reached the water and shivered slightly as the first waves washed over his feet, " You have no idea."  
"Well...My parents think I'm dead, so there's that."  
"Really?!", Danny looked over towards Luke who was warming his hands inside of the pockets of his leather jacket.  
"It's a long story."  
For a moment Danny considered if he should actually voice his opinion on this before he stopped to look at the other man, "I...uhm...don't know anything about you or your story. I mean not much. But I remember that time my dad wanted to go to the zoo with me. He never really had time for me and took the day off...But instead I wanted to meet with Joy. I told him that we would go another day. But that just never really happened. A few days later my parents and I boarded a private jet and the rest is history. I think about this a lot."  
For the second time today, Danny was fighting against tears.  
Luke swallowed before he answered, "It's not the same. My parents think they raised a criminal."  
"But you're not a criminal. You're a her- a good person. And besides, they think that their son is a dead criminal. I think no matter how they react to the news...In the long term the truth is better for you and them."  
"So what is it with the house?", Luke asked and Danny decided to not call him out on the deliberate change of the topic.  
 "I thought about what you told me. I mean the last few days...so much stuff has happened. And Matt asked us to protect his city and I'm gonna do that on the streets with my fist and, yeah…violence if it's necessary...but then I figured, why stop there? I don't think this house is anything but a place filled with bitter-sweet memories. And I don't want to sell it. As I said, I don't have the instinct of Harold or my dad. And what you said...back then...I want to give it away for free."  
"To who?"  
Danny looked at Luke, " There's an organization, that takes care of disabled orphans. As you said, the house can fit like ten families. But also like 15-20 kids plus staff."  
"Disabled orphans, huh? That's...very specific.  
"They need special accommodations. And mostly...I thought of Matt. I want to ask the organization to name it, Murdock Manor or something. In honor of him."  
Luke laughed, " That sounds like a haunted mansion. But jokes aside: I like the idea. You should do that."  
Danny nodded and smiled proudly, "Good."  
"Danny?", Luke asked before he grabbed him by the shoulders to hold him still, " You don't have to ask for my approval. Being good is hard but I think that you're doing great."  
Luke smiled softly and Danny couldn't help but return the gesture, "I didn't properly thank you."  
"For what?"  
"For saving me. Back then at Midland circle. I wouldn’t have made it out without you guys."  
Luke laughed, "I went down there because the city was in danger, don't think too high of yourself."  
Danny smiled. Reading people wasn't his strength but he was sure, that the reason he had given him hadn't actually been Luke's primary intention yesterday. The thing was, Danny wasn't mad. He knew the truth and Luke seemed to need time and that was okay.

  


**Author's Note:**

> So I' WAY to deep in my little Powerfist dumpster ever since the Defenders dropped and I feel as if this sort of conversation was actually missing from the show. I loved the talks between Danny/Colleen, Luke/Jess in the end but I feel as if the relationship between Danny and Luke deserved a little more meaningful dialogue. And I would hve loved to get some hints on what their relationship is like right now.  
> I actually have one or two ideas on Powerfist fics and since I don't have my draft for BL with me on vacation, maybe I'll post a chapter soon but idk.  
> Anyway thanks for reading :D


End file.
